


To Those Just Tuning In

by fudges



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-12-01 23:09:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20929433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fudges/pseuds/fudges
Summary: Sammy Welching, a normal Hyperion employee, listens to one of Gaige's the Vault-Hunter Echolog broadcasts.





	To Those Just Tuning In

To almost all onlookers, Sammy Welching would appear a bog-standard Hyperion employee. And she was, for the most part! Sammy backstabbed the right amount, had the normal amount of posters of Jack up in her cubicle, had the average k/d ratio in finger-gun fights. Average. Normal. Unparticular.

Sammy had one secret, though.

She was an avid fan of Gaige the Vault-Hunter’s Echologs.

In all honesty, it wasn’t even anything that needed to be kept super covert. Yeah, it was the kinda thing that could get you killed at Hyperion, but the list of things that could get you killed at Hyperion wasn’t short, and Sammy were only really in danger if someone ratted her out to a manager who really needed to suck up to Handsome Jack for their quarterly review, or something. 

Sammy still kept it on the DL, however. It was almost nicer that way, something private and special, that none of the corporate bullshit that surrounded her in almost every other facet of her life could touch.

She’d been a fan of Gaige for a long time, all the way back to her single-digit subscriber numbers. Those days were long gone, and Gaige’s subscribers now numbered in the millions, but there was still a bit of a thrill to logging on and seeing that number and knowing that you were one of the first.

Sammy shook herself out of her thoughts, and put down her hand where she’d been leaning on it. Speaking of Gaige, there was a broadcast going on right now, and Sammy had finished her work, she could catch whatever was left of it. She opened a Quaver tab, just in time to catch the tail-end of one of Gaige’s tirades.

“And for your information, no! I won't stop talking about my girlfriend on here!” 

Ah. This. Gaige’s “girlfriend”. Apparently named “Angel”, although Sammy thought privately that that was probably an alias or something, to protect “Angel’s” privacy. Gaige was an incredibly popular public figure, after all. Dating her had to be stressful. However…

“All of you guys don’t know her, if you did, you’d appreciate her properly- I swear!”

How good could she really be? Honestly? Gaige was a hero, someone who stood up to The Man, (ignoring that Sammy was a part of The Man). Angel hadn’t ever been on a stream or anything, but Gaige defended her, like, every day. It reeked of entitlement. Sammy just didn’t want Gaige to be taken advantage of.  
“And if you wouldn’t- well! I’ve got enough followers, then honestly, just unfollow me! I’m like, pretty sure it’s pride month back on Eden-5, sooooo!” Gaige’s metal arm clicked, and Sammy knew she was clenching her fist. Yeah, that wasn’t an issue. Sammy glanced over at the photo of her and Amanda, the ill-fated H.R. worker. It was a bummer that she’d been accidentally sucked out the airlock in the Finance Department Purge earlier that year, but Amanda had pretty vocally hated the Vault Hunters. They wouldn’t have worked out.

Gaige, meanwhile, had gone quiet. All that could be heard was the click of her metal arm, and the clank of tools as she worked with them. Sammy opened a Chitter tab, and slowly browsed down her timeline, appreciating the background sound. She missed it when there was the sound of a door in the background of Gaige’s Echolog, and so was startled when Gaige suddenly squealed with delight.

“Ohmigod, you came over!!”

A calm voice, deeper than Gaige’s, a hiss on the ‘s’es. “Yes, I did. Jack was distracted by something, so I came to visit.”

Gaige sounded completely thrilled. “Babe, I’m so happy!”

There was a loud sound as she clearly launched herself from her seat, and ran over to where Angel was standing. Then there wasn’t anything for a second, and Sammy strained to hear what was happening ...Wet noises? What? She was completely broken out of her thoughts by Gaige’s next sentence. 

“Hey, everybody! This is my super-cool girlfriend, Angel!”

Sammy’s mouth dropped open, and she completely stops errantly browsing Chitter. ANGEL? Angel is here? Right now? With Gaige?

Angel (as apparently is her actual name), sucked in a breath, and after a moment, spoke nervously. “Gaige, are you...streaming?”

Sammy rolled her eyes. Everyone knows Gaige streams on Thursday nights. Looks like Angel doesn’t even know her own girlfriend’s schedule.

Gaige, completely oblivious to the fact her own girlfriend isn’t supportive at all, answered cheerily. “Yeah, babe!”

“Ah. Is that...safe? You know, with Jack-”

Gaige cut Angel off, sounding confident. “That jerk is totally banned, don’t even worry, Angel.”

There was a long pause, and Sammy, despite herself, leaned forward in her chair. Who’s Jack? Why does it matter if he gains access? An ex or something? Does Angel have a crazy ex? Is dating her putting Gaige in DANGER? Because if so, if Angel had any moral uprightness, she should leave Gaige to protect-

“Gaige, there are other ways for him to gain access to your stream than his own personal account.” Angel sounded slightly worried, and Sammy begrudgingly appreciated it. It was good for her to be worried about Gaige. “I could check myself, but if Jack caught me checking...Well, I just wouldn’t want him to catch me checking.”

Gaige made a sound of agreement. “Yeah, I figured, babe. I’m pretty sure I figured out a way to lock out anyone who’s got the slightest association with a Hyperion company ID, even if they’re also spoofing.” She then snort-giggled. “I kinda hope he does log in with his, though. There’s something special for him.”

Sammy leaned forward even further, nose an inch from the screen. What? Sammy herself had a Hyperion company ID, but she’d never even had a privilege removed! Was it her shitty Tediore Brand (™, of course) EXPLOSIVE INTERNET? Or something else? Did she have special privileges? Did Gaige KNOW ABOUT HER EXISTENCE?

Ignoring her inner turmoil, Gaige and Angel had continued speaking,  
“Well. Alright. If you’re sure.”

“I am!”

“Then I’m okay with it.”

Angel paused. “Should I talk to them? Your stream.”

Gaige’s hair thumped against the mic as she shook her head vigorously. “Nah, they’ve got enough of that from me already tonight! In fact, I can sign-off. We can watch that movie I was talkin’ about, if ya want!”

When Angel spoke, there was an audible smile in her voice. “Yes, I’d like that.”

Gaige responded “Great!”, and starts rustling around, likely beginning to end the stream. “Just gimme a second, I gotta shut all of this down.”

Sammy can hear Gaige typing, but before she can even begin to process what just happened, Angel spoke again, this time with a slightly sinister tone to her voice.  
“Gaige, before you shut everything down- would you mind showing me what exactly you set up for Jack?”  
Gaige giggle-snorts. “Ohmigod, babe, totally! You’re gonna love it.”

The stream ends, abruptly, without Gaige’s usual sign-off. Sammy sat back in her chair, almost shell-shocked. That was...a lot of information to take in. Angel was real, Angel was actually named Angel, and, well. She seemed nice. Enough. Ish. More importantly, GAIGE MIGHT KNOW ABOUT SAMMY’S EXISTENCE. Sammy was inclined to feel charitable, and thought to herself, in a moment of magnanimity, that Angel was probably a good person.

And she clearly made Gaige happy. Sammy had heard her that happy before, obviously. Gaige wasn’t a super-difficult person to please, and she’d sound happy everything she got Deathtrap to do something new, or her dad sent her a postcard, or she found a brand of soda she liked.  
But. It was different. Somehow.

And Sammy’s jury was still out, totally. Completely. But. she might be coming around. Like, a little.

Seriously, though, who was Jack?

**Author's Note:**

> this is ridiculously self-indulgent and also is just me making fun of parasocial relationships. can we get an f in the chat for Amanda from hr


End file.
